We're getting married!

Both Jude and Briana had a series of misadventures using dating apps and websites. Briana had thrown in the towel on Tinder after a few bad dates when a friend convinced her to try one more time. After multiple date failures, Jude had lowered his expectations to prevent the inevitable letdown, but figured it was worth another shot. They swiped right on each other, met up on a Monday for one drink, and the rest is history. Briana remembers being impressed by Jude calling her to ask her out, rather than texting, when he got her number via the dating app. Jude remembers being impressed by the fact that Briana actually looked better in person than in her online photos. By date three, a hike on the Washington side of the Gorge not far from their wedding site, they both knew this was something special worth pursuing.

Jude and Briana were itching to get out of the country for awhile, so they planned a trip to Costa Rica with Briana's brother, Ben, and his girlfriend, Jenna. Briana, to be honest, was hoping for a proposal during the trip (how memorable!) but, by day 4, figured it probably wasn't happening. On that day the group decided to check out the Rainmaker Reserve, a private nature reserve in the mountains behind Quepos, where they were staying. Jude had heard about the spot from his uncle. During a very hot and very beautiful hike, in view of a waterfall, Jude dropped to one knee and asked Briana to be his partner-in-crime forever (see photo at the top of the page). There was a beautiful speech, too, but she remembers none of it because she cried and just kept saying "YES!" On their way out of the hike, the group saw two poison dart frogs hopping along the path together, which the newly engaged couple took as an excellent sign.

We would be remiss if we didn't include the story of our fur child, Raymond, on our site. Soon after moving in together, Briana insisted on visiting the animal shelter "just in case" on a Sunday afternoon. Ray was one of two dogs we met - before bringing him in, the shelter volunteer warned us that he had met other people and didn't interact. Well, that all changed when we were introduced! In fact, he climbed in Briana's lap when the volunteer tried to take him away. He has blossomed from a cautious and unpredictable creature into a loving and loyal companion who is up for anything from a long hike to a good cuddle sesh on the couch. He will be the ring bearer on our special day.